CLEVELAND Police have used Taser stun guns 100 times and discharged them on 38 incidents in four years, new figures reveal.

The Home Office has released details of the use of the “less than lethal” weapon which delivers a shock of up to 50,000 volts. It was made available to Cleveland Police in 2004.

The breakdown of the Taser “use” ranges from discharge to drawing the weapon.

Since 2004 Cleveland Police have once used the weapon in “drive-stun” mode where a shock is delivered at close range without firing the barbs.

There were 56 red dot incidents - where the laser sight is lined up on a target but the weapon not discharged - in the four years from 2004. It was drawn eight times.

Durham Officers discharged the Taser 29 times in the period, used it in stun mode once, aimed it twice, drew it three times and used it in a total of 97 times.

In North Yorkshire officers discharged the Taser 16 times and used it in stun mode four times. It was primed as a warning six times, aimed four times and drawn eight times. It was used 84 times.

Superintendent Ian Coates of Cleveland Police Specialist Operations and Communications, said the Taser is a “tool to be used in dangerous and life threatening circumstances”.

He said: “It continues to provide a proportionately low risk option to the public and the police and the deployment of Taser results in far less risk of injury than other forms of intervention in such circumstances.”

He added: “Strict criteria must be met before Taser can be deployed or discharged and following any such discharge a full de-brief is conducted to ensure the use was entirely appropriate.”

Human rights campaigners say Tasers can be lethal and should only be used in life-threatening situations.